An hour later John Doe was back in the unit, and Pam ventured to look in on him. He was awake, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face. She moved inside his cubicle and pulled the privacy curtain closed. He glanced her way. The vacant glaze of his pupils suggested a deeper emotional issue to add to his minor injuries and heart problem. Pam picked up the clipboard and flipped the pages.
“The results of the ex-rays haven’t come over yet. Sometimes the departments get swamped, and it takes a while. How are you feeling?”
Silence.
“You had no identification on you at the site where they found you. Do you have a name?” Pam asked.
Still nothing.
“It would help your recovery, sir, if we could access your medical files,” Pam said in a more commanding voice. “There are far too many John Doe’s in the system.”
His eyebrow rose. At least he comprehended what she was saying to him.
“Can you not speak? Please, nod yes or no.”
He nodded yes, and then a raspy voice broke through. “Sorry. I am in a bit of a conundrum.”
“Can you elaborate?” Pam asked.
“It appears I have no recollection of my name, my past, or how I ended up in an accident. Where did you say they found me?”
Pam scanned the report the paramedic had filed. “In a ditch off the main highway just before the exit into Cedar Springs.”
“Cedar Springs – is that where I am?”
“Yes. This is St. Joe’s General Hospital, and I am Dr. Legend, your physician on duty.”
He smiled, and before he uttered the words, she knew what was coming. “And a mighty fine looking physician, I might add.”
Pam wondered why young men felt the need to hit on professional women? Did they all wear an invisible, single, available and easy sign plastered on their foreheads?
“It appears a man doesn’t need an identity to spout inappropriate advances to his doctor,” Pam said. “I suppose if I attempt to listen to your heart, it will flutter unnecessarily and not give me an accurate reading.”
“Might be a problem, Doc. You’d be in pretty close proximity, and who knows what rhythm the old ticker will be playing.”
Pam cast him an expression of reproach, and he backed off. She laid the cold stethoscope on his chest, not attempting to warm it up, and could not hold back the smile that played at the corner of her lips in hearing his slight gasp.
“I believe the tune is Silent Night – slow and steady. Perhaps you should rest from your ordeal, Mr. Doe. I’ll return later when I have more information to pass along.” As Pam opened the curtain, she turned back and spoke. “The lab will be here shortly to take blood samples.”
“No way! I don’t do blood, Doc.”
“Are you frightened?” Pam asked. Her patient’s sudden anxiety suggested his fears were genuine.
“Nope. Just want to keep mine to myself.”
“A blood sample will reveal a lot about your health,” she said. “Besides, if every donor thought like you, this hospital would be in quite a fix when we required blood for surgery.”
“Not the donor type.” He appeared resolute in his decision.
“Perhaps it is a religious conviction? But then how would you know that when you don’t even know who you are?”
John Doe shook his head. “Guess I had a bad scare once and fear is ingrained deep into my self-preservation mode.”
“Possibly. I still need a full blood work report on you so I can diagnose your condition properly. Your objection is duly noted, but changes nothing – unless, of course, you have no interest in full recovery?” Pam cast him a challenging smile, hoping to calm his nerves. “A nurse will be in shortly. John, she is good at her job. You won’t feel a thing.”
The concern never left his face, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Pam went to the cupboard and withdrew a heated blanket and covered him. “Too late to claim shock now, sir. Suck it up and let’s proceed with the tests to clear you and get you on your way.”
“But… where would I go?”
“I suppose that will be a problem.” Pam turned to leave. “Let me see what I can do. You can definitely spend one night here in the ER. By morning we should have some insight as to any conditions you may suffer because of the accident.”
“Besides amnesia? Isn’t that enough?”
“It is, and we will continue to run tests.”
“Will you be here all night? I hate too many new faces.”
Really? The man was a flirt – a prime candidate for tailing anyone in a skirt. Somehow her first impressions did not picture him as a recluse or social delinquent.
“I will be here, Mr. Doe. Just starting my second twelve-hour shift,” Pam said.
“Second? You need to sleep, woman.”
“Tell the person who schedules my life. Rest now. I will return later.”
Pam busied herself with patients, forms, prescriptions, and releases for the next hour. She was at the end of the hall consulting with Janet when she heard the scream and started running. What could be happening in the cardiac ward now?
“Mr. Doe!” The name suited him at this moment for his eyes resembled those of a deer caught in the headlights
